PEOPLE
To succeed in today’s fast-changing work environment, CFOs need to be strategic thinkers, problem solvers, facilitators, information technology specialists, efficiency gurus, and much more. For Sachinn Joshi, the Group CFO of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd (L&TFH), a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), continuous learning is the key to broadening the skills he needs to lead in a rapidly-changing world.
INSIGHT
Despite Covid-19 – or perhaps thanks to it – India’s financial technology (FinTech) sector remains on a high growth trajectory.Propelling it forward are tailwinds such as strong consumer demand, an enabling regulatory environment, rich and diverse capital flows
The complex nature of change today demands that, rather than just identifying a handful of successors for top jobs, businesses must build a leadership pipeline. This involves a shift from replacement planning and position-specific succession planning (SP) to a comprehensive, organisation-wide succession management
Employer branding has always been a key mandate for winning brands, all the more so in a post-Covid world. According to a recent LinkedIn survey, 80% of hiring managers bank on a strong employer brand to hire key talent.
Economic activity appears to be reviving faster than many expected. IMA’s Q4FY21 (Jan-Mar) Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) indicates heightened optimism with respect to short term prospects for revenue, hiring and increments. However, the jury is still out on the medium term.
Discussions around environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities are growing in importance within Boardrooms. Increasingly, companies are ranked on whether they are behaving as responsible ‘stewards of nature’; on how they manage their relationships with employees, suppliers
Over 230 CEOs and CFOs responded to our quarterly BCPI survey, run in April 2021Their outlook on current and future (3 months from today) macroeconomic conditions
Economic activity appears to be reviving faster than many expected. IMA’s Q4FY21 (Jan-Mar) Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) indicates heightened optimism with respect to short term prospects for revenue, hiring and increments. However, the jury is still out on the medium term.
Think Tank
In conversation with members of IMA’s India CFO Forum
A fierce second wave of Covid-19 has tested the resilience of organisations as well as their Finance teams. CFOs have had to fire-fight on multiple fronts, including at home, while ensuring long-term business continuity.
In conversation with Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Foreign Editor, Hindustan Times
China has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic unscathed, perhaps even strengthened – and in the past few months, much of Asia has had to endure its rising assertiveness. A belligerent China is nothing new, nor is anti-China sentiment.
In conversation with Sujeet Kumar, Co-Founder, Udaan
India’s retail market is one of the world’s fastest-growing and valued at ~USD 600 billion, but a huge chunk of it remains unorganised and fragmented. The pandemic augmented and – in some ways – forced retailers and wholesalers to adopt digital ways of doing business.
In conversation with Anurag Mantri, Group CFO, Jindal Stainless
It hardly bears repeating that Covid-19 has altered the risk matrix for businesses. Global financial and commodity markets are yet to find a new equilibrium. This creates credit, liquidity and price risks for treasury managers, procurement planners and ultimately, the CFO.
Covid-19’s financial ramifications are visible across sectors – and the healthcare industry is no exception. Most hospitals found themselves under tremendous pressure as the focus shifted from their core offering (elective surgeries) to having to handle coronavirus cases. However, some, such as Manipal Hospitals, have shown tremendous resilience by successfully adapting to a changing environment. The Finance team has played a crucial role, and was at the forefront of this effort. Leading the charge for Finance is Sameer Agarwal, Group CFO at Manipal Hospitals, who found himself in a firefighting mode – protecting cash, identifying risks, and reworking most of the financial plans and forecasts.
Construction workers, traditionally involved in physically arduous jobs, and now even office employees that remain glued to their chairs, acknowledge cervical damage and other conditions as work-related hazards.Employers have become conscious of such disorders and provide therapeutic help. However, the issue of mental depression and stress-induced conditions, such as anxiety, are frequently ignored.